


Get Lucky

by FH14



Series: Fictober 2019 [3]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Love Triangles, M/M, Open Relationships, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2020-11-28 16:57:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20969939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FH14/pseuds/FH14
Summary: Black cats bring bad luck, or so the superstition goes. But Yong Soo is pretty good at making his own bad luck.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a fill for the [Spooktober Challenge](https://spooktoberchallenge.dreamwidth.org/732.html) prompt "Cat", though it doesn't incorporate Halloween or direct themes of the season (at this time). It was originally published, unbeta'd, on [my DreamWidth](https://fh14.dreamwidth.org/26159.html).

"Whose cat is this?"

Yong Soo glanced up, registering that Alfred was in the room before looking back down at his Switch. "It's Arthur's. Remember? He's studying abroad this semester and this is our month to watch it."

"I- I never agreed to that!" Alfred faltered.

Yong Soo sighed and hit the pause button on the game before looking up again. "I'm trying to finish this level before my Engineering class this afternoon. What's your deal? It's a cat."

"A b-b-b-black cat," Alfred stammered, pointing to the spot on his dresser where the cat had chosen to plant itself, seemingly undisturbed by the outburst.

Yong Soo stared at him, "And?"

"Dude!" Alfred reached out and grabbed Yong Soo by the shoulders, "Black cats are bad luck!"

Yong Soo frowned. "What are you talking about? They're good luck in Korea, and ever since Francis dropped it off I've been absolutely killing it at this." He shoved the Switch in between them and waved it in front of Alfred's face, as if that would somehow snap him out of his fit.

"I'm telling you man!" Alfred said, removing one of his hands to point dramatically at the cat, "This is gonna be our downfall!"

Before Yong Soo could reply, his eyes were drawn away by a flashing notice on the screen of his Switch. "Jen-jang! My battery is about to die, where is my charger?"

He brushed Alfred's other hand away, sitting up straighter and casting his eyes around the room. The dorm they shared wasn't particularly big, but between all their computer and gaming equipment there wasn't a ton of open floor or counter space, and none of it seemed to have the charger he was looking for.

"See!" Alfred said.

"Shut up and help me look!" Yong Soo whined, standing up and digging through his book bag. "This game doesn't autosave and I've been playing for hours!"

"It's the curse of the black cat!"

"No it's not. I don't want to- Da-ze!" He felt his hand curl around the wire, and shot Alfred a self-satisfied smirk, "Found it!"

He pulled it out of the bag, puffing out his chest. His euphoria was short-lived, however, when he realized that the wire of the charger was frayed and, clear upon pulling it out of his backpack, completely severed.

He stared at it, dumbstruck, only to snap out of it when Alfred began making exaggerated ghost noises.

"It's the curse!" He said, wiggling his fingers.

Yong Soo threw the broken charger at him, "Lend me yours' you asshole!"

* * *

Yong Soo left his Engineering class in a funk. Not only had he lost at least half of his game progress, but he got called on in class and was so preoccupied he didn't even know what the question was.

"Like, study harder next time," Leon said, nonchalantly trolling along beside him.

Yong Soo shot him an exasperated look. "You didn't know the answer either!"

"Yeah, but I don't care," Leon absentmindedly picked at his ear. "You're always the one going on and on about how you were the top of your class and almost made it into the Overwatch League."

"I still could if I wanted to. I just thought school was more important," Yong Soo muttered. His mood immediately shifted, however, when he smelled a familiar sweet scent waft past.

"Xiao Mei!" He shouted, spinning around with a big, goofy grin plastered on his face, "What can I do for you?"

"How did you know it was me?" She giggled, pulling her hair behind her ear, missing a single strand that stuck out from the top of her head. Yong Soo wasn't sure why she didn't cut it off, but he was glad she didn't. It was just one charm point among her many charm points.

"Your perfume is really strong," Leon explained.

"In a good way. You smell really good!" Yong Soo countered, his face reddening once he realized what he'd said.

"Thanks?" Xiao Mei laughed, otherwise unfazed. "Listen," She said, leaning towards him and lowering her voice, "Leon told me earlier that you and Alfred have a cat in your dorm."

"Yeah, if Alfred hasn't already gotten rid of it," Yong Soo said, his heart skipping a beat when he saw Xiao Mei's face fall. "No, I mean, he forgot that we were supposed to watch it so he wasn't happy this morning. And he thinks its bad luck because it's a black cat."

"A black cat?" Xiao Mei's eyes lit up again, and she clasped her hands in front of him. "Listen, if it isn't too much trouble, can I come over to your dorm and pet it? I love cats! And black cats are good luck as far as I'm concerned."

Yong Soo puffed out his chest, "Of course! You can come over right now if you want!"

* * *

"How do you live like this?" Leon commented.

Yong Soo wanted to argue, but in all honesty his dorm usually wasn't much cleaner than it currently was. Only this time instead of electronics and wires strewn everywhere it was scraps of paper littering the floor and clothes spilling out of their drawers.

For his part, Alfred was huddled on his bed hidden behind a pillow, averting their gaze and gesturing to the top of Yong Soo's dresser.

"What a handsome boy!" Xiao Mei crooned, seemingly unconcerned by the mess surrounding her. The cat was perched at the top of the dresser licking it's paw, the bell on its collar letting out a soft ring as it moved.

"My clothes!" Yong Soo groaned, gathering up some of the shirts that had completely fallen onto the ground. "I just ironed these too!"

"It didn't want to go into its cage," Alfred mumbled, still hidden by the pillow. "I'm sorry."

Yong Soo sighed, doing his best to pull himself back together. "It's fine. Stuff like this really messes with my image though."

"Your image?" Alfred asked, peeking out from behind the pillow for the first time.

Yong Soo cocked his head. "You know. Stylish, Photogenic, the Cool Guy."

Leon let out an exaggerated laugh. "No one thinks you're the cool guy dude."

Yong Soo felt his stomach sink, and he stared hollowly at Leon. "But… you said you looked up to me."

"Because you're tall," Leon gasped, his fake laugh beginning to turn into a real one.

Yong Soo glanced around the room, crestfallen. Alfred gave him a sympathetic smile, while Xiao Mei, the cat now off the dresser and in her arms, nodding encouragingly.

"I still think you're pretty cool Yong Soo, even if you are messy."

"Thanks!" Yong Soo beamed, his bad mood vanishing almost instantly. This made Leon laugh harder for some reason.

The cat began to purr, and Xiao Mei began stroking it behind the ear. "Such a good kitty. I hope these boys are doing a good job looking after you."

"It's only been a few hours and our dorm is in ruins," Alfred murmured.

"You do have the litter box set up," Leon nodded toward the gray box in the corner of the room, "So it didn't crap anywhere at least."

"I think it's time to feed him though," Yong Soo said, reaching out himself and scratching the cat behind its ears. "Where's his food?"

He glanced over at Alfred, who had a glazed expression on his face.

"Alfred, where's its food?"

"Don't look at me!" Alfred said. "I wasn't the one who was here when Francis dropped it off! Where did you put it?"

"He- uh," Yong Soo struggled to remember what Francis had said, but could only remember having to concentrate harder on his game. "I'm sure it's around here somewhere. Where was the litter box left?"

"Where it is now," Alfred said, gesturing to the gray box.

"So Francis set it up? That was-" Leon began, bending down to examine it closer, before gasping out a sharp laugh.

Yong Soo stared at him, the sound sending goosebumps up his arms. "What?" He breathed.

"Well," Leon said, standing back up and turning toward Yong Soo, clearly doing his best not to laugh any more. "Francis didn't set up the litter box. And I found the cat's food."

* * *

"This is your fault dude," Alfred said an hour later. He pushed the door open with his back as he dragged the bag of kitty litter in behind him, before dropping it unceremoniously on the ground.

"Yeah, well, you could at least pull this all the way in the room," Yong Soo murmured, lazily kicking the bag on the floor, "It's keeping the door from closing."

"I was holding it for you. Being polite." Alfred said, plopping down onto his bed.

Yong Soo simply sighed, walking over to his desk and putting down the bag of dry cat food. Not only had Francis not provided them with any kitty litter, he had left the open bag of food open inside the tray of the litter box. Suffice to say, it hadn't been usable by the time Leon had spotted it.

"Maybe it is bad luck," Yong Soo muttered, looking up at the top of Alfred's dresser where it was currently napping.

"I mean, yeah," Alfred said, waving his hand lazily. "But Xiao Mei seems to like it, so it'll give you an excuse to invite her over if you want. Silver lining."

"I just wanted to look cool in front of her!" Yong Soo cried out in frustration, faceplanting down beside Alfred. "In high school I was really popular and everyone liked me, but I never had a girlfriend because I knew the other girls would bully her. And now that I'm in college and in a position to date, I just keep looking like this big loser who doesn't know what he's doing."

Yong Soo rolled on his side and pouted, but was quickly taken aback by the dumbstruck look on Alfred's face. "What?"

Alfred quietly look his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose, before slumping his shoulders and letting out a laugh. "Nothing. I just… I have mad respect for they way you're putting yourself out there, you know? Meeting new people, trying new things."

Yong Soo frowned, sitting up as the cat jumped down from the dresser onto the bed next to them. "What are you talking about? You put yourself out there too. And besides," He added, scooping up the cat in his arms, "You're putting up with this guy now."

"Like I had a choice," Alfred mumbled.

"Arthur _did_ ask you to take care of him. At the end of the last semester. Remember?" Yong Soo held up the cat in front of him. "You said you'd do anything for your best bros."

"That… sounds like me," Alfred grinned. "I mean, you know."

Yong Soo felt his face redden, and he dropped the cat back onto the bed. "Well, we aren't talking about that right now," He stammered, reaching up and running his fingers through his hair. "I really wish you wouldn't bring it up though, Da-ze."

"What does that word mean? Da-ze?" Alfred laughed, clearly enjoying getting a rise out of him.

"It doesn't mean anything," Yong Soo said, turning down to look at the floor. "It's just something I say when I get excited or stressed out and shit."

"Really," Alfred said, and Yong Soo felt his friend's hand grab his chin and turn his head back towards him. Alfred's more light-hearted grin had turned into a smirk, and a faint blush was starting to form on his cheeks as well. "I must've really excited or stressed you out that whole night then."

Yong Soo opened his mouth, trying to come up with a retort, but it was like his mind was filling with static, and instead he let his body go slack as he returned to the familiar sensation of Alfred's lips pressed against his own.

He wasn't sure how long it lasted, all of his senses completely absorbed in the embrace. _Why did he have to be good at this?_ A brief flare of anger shot through Yong Soo before it was subsided by Alfred parting his lips and-

"You got the supplies- oh!"

Yong Soo's eyes flew open and he pushed Alfred off of him, knocking the other boy onto the bed and into dresser behind it, sending a flurry of books and papers cascading down onto him.

Yong Soo was too fixated on Xiao Mei standing in the doorway to notice.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I should've… knocked?" She asked, her face almost as red as his was. "The door was open, so I didn't… I'll see you guys in class tomorrow!"

Yong Soo stared after her slack-jawed as she left, his face flush and a sense of dread growing in the pit of his stomach. He glanced down at the floor, finally noticing the bag of kitty litter still propping the door open, and the cat sitting on top of it, staring at him.

It was then that he finally regained the ability to form words.

"Bad luck!" He shouted, pointing at the cat, who simply blinked and meowed back at him.

"Yeah," Alfred groaned, now sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck, the resignation in his voice palpable. "Bad luck."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second part of this fic is a fill for the [Spooktober Challenge](https://spooktoberchallenge.dreamwidth.org/732.html) prompt "Bar Crawl", and, unlike the previous chapter, _does_ incorporate Halloween and direct themes of the season.

"This doesn't look anything like me," Yong Soo yawned, glancing up from the card in front of him.

"It doesn't matter," Francis said, gesturing flamboyantly at his own ID. "As long as you're roughly the same ethnicity they don't care. Just don't cause a stir, and you can drink to your heart's content!"

The sing-song tune in his voice only made Yong Soo's frown deepen.

None of this was technically his fault, but Francis leaving the cat and his dorm had set off the chain of events that led to Mei seeing him… seeing him…

"You look like shit by the way," Francis said, and Yong Soo immediately snapped out of his trance.

"Hey, yeah, sorry, I haven't been sleeping well the last couple of weeks," He let out a weak, nervous laugh that almost sounded like a whimper.

Francis stared at him with a puzzled frown. "Has the cat been keeping you up?"

"No nothing like that," Yong Soo said, shaking his head with more force than was probably necessary.

In fact, after the first couple of days, he'd barely noticed the cat when he wasn't feeding it. It spent most of the day asleep, and he was camped out at the library late most nights in order to avoid talking to Alfred.

They'd barely spoken since the incident occurred, though Alfred had tried a couple of times to corner him whenever he stopped by the room to get something. He quickly found ways to worm his way out of it, but not before feeling like complete shit when he saw how hurt Alfred was.

"Hey, uh," Yong Soo stammered. Francis blinked, and he realized that they had probably both zoned out. He glanced around the hallway, making sure no one was in earshot, before leaning forward and whispering, "You're gay right?"

Francis blinked again, his eyes regaining their focus. "Technically no, I like all genders. Why?"

"All?" Yong Soo blinked, the concept not quite landing right in his head.

"I like women, I like men, I like people who aren't either, or both," Francis shrugged. "Why? Do you think you might be gay? Is that why you haven't showered in a week?"

"I have showered!" Yong Soo snapped. A couple of people walking by glanced at them, and he lowered his voice again. "My sleep patterns are a bit off. And, I dunno. I don't think so? I don't know anything about this stuff so it's confusing. I just know that I really, really like Mei but I also…" Yong Soo threw his hands up in the air and let out a frustrated groan.

Francis shook his head, a smile spreading across his face. "Ah yes, I know that feeling well. We can talk more if you want, but I also think you need to get out of your head for a little while. You're coming to the Halloween event at Kirkland's right?"

"The bar?" Yong Soo asked, "I'm not 21 though."

Francis sighed and pointed to the fake ID Yong Soo was still holding in his hand.

"Oh!" Yong Soo yelped, feeling completely mortified. "Right!"

"Maybe take a nap first," Francis said, giving him a once over. "Though, since it is a Halloween party, you could come dressed as a zombie."

* * *

He was halfway through changing into his outfit when Alfred returned to the room.

He'd given up on getting any sleep, ultimately deciding that any attempt in that room would be pretty restless no matter what he did.

Not that sleeping in an actual bed had helped Alfred. He looked just as wrecked as Yong Soo did, which only made his chest tighten with even more guilt.

"Hey, you're back," Alfred said dully, unceremoniously dropping his bag on the ground before wandering over to his bed.

"Yeah," Yong Soo murmured. "Francis got me a fake ID for this party they're having down at Kirkland's. You going?"

"Maybe?" Yong Soo looked up to see Alfred giving the tail end of a shrug, his eyes downcast. "It's just that with Arthur gone and Francis… being Francis… I don't have anyone to hang out with."

Yong Soo stared at Alfred, his mouth open. His sleep deprived brain felt like it was on fire, and the mix of emotions flooding him made him feel like he was going to throw up. Thankfully he didn't.

Instead he started crying.

He knew Alfred was having some kind of reaction to that, and that he at least jumped up from the bed, but he was too consumed by the feelings overwhelming him to parse it down any further.

After a few minutes, he felt a hand tentatively touch his shoulder. He opened his eyes and wiped away some of the tears, though they continued to fall.

He was cognizant enough of Alfred standing in front of him with wide, scared eyes. "Dude?" He asked in a soft voice, which only made Yong Soo's heart hurt more.

"I'm so sorry," Yong Soo blurted out the words before he could really process them. "I'm sorry I've been such a shitty friend. I've been freaking out and taking all this out on you and that's not fair."

"Hey, hey," Alfred leaned in closer before stopping and jerking back. "I'm the one who messed everything up. I pressured you into doing that stuff and wrecked things for you and Mei. I'm a huge piece of shit."

"No you're not," Yong Soo said, forcing himself to breathe normally. "Well, I haven't talked to Mei since then so I don't know about that part of it, but you didn't pressure me into anything, okay? I wanted it, I just didn't think about what it meant, and I still don't, and... oh my god!"

Alfred lept back, pulling his hand from Yong Soo's shoulder, his expression changing from frightened concern to frightened confusion. "What?"

"I… We..." Yong Soo stammered, staring at Alfred as the wave of shocked realization rolled over him. God, was he seriously this stupid? "I haven't been a virgin for months!"

Alfred's mouth fell open, staring at Yong Soo in complete and utter surprise as his face slowly reddened.

They stayed in that holding pattern for what felt like ages, until Yong Soo felt something soft brush against his ankle, and looked down to see the cat looking up at him expectantly.

"We need to feed him," Alfred said, his voice cracking, before shaking his head, the air suddenly feeling clearer. "I got it, hang on."

Yong Soo watched in silence as Alfred scooped some of the dry food into a large ceramic dish, and by the time he was done Yong Soo felt like his head had grown clearer than it had been in weeks. And it struck him just how ridiculous all of this was.

"I really am sorry," Yong Soo said. "Mostly for ditching you these past couple of weeks, but also, I dunno. I never really thought about what we did as being…"

"I mean, it was just two friends messing around," Alfred said, standing up and looking up at him, his face still flush. "And I'm sorry too. I'd just assumed that you'd already… You know?"

Yong Soo blinked. "This is gonna sound really dumb, but I didn't think it counted since we were both guys."

Alfred was looking at him directly now, "Seriously dude?"

"I know, I'm so stupid!" Yong Soo groaned, flopping back down onto Alfred's bed. "I just… Until I came here I never met anyone who wasn't straight so I'd never really thought about it. And when we hooked up I didn't really think about it then either. And now it's all… I have no idea what I am."

Yong Soo felt the weight shift on the bed, and looked up to see Alfred sitting down next to him, glancing over nervously.

"I should have talked to you about it then," Alfred said, sighing. "I've known I was bi for ages so I just… I dunno, I feel weird asking people. But considering we had sex and everything…"

"Yeah…"

They sat there in silence for a while, letting the sudden calm wash over them. Honestly, Yong Soo was thrilled that he could feel at peace in his own dorm room again, but he was even happier that he and Alfred were talking again.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Alfred ended up speaking first.

"Wait, you haven't talked to Mei _at all_?"

"It's embarrassing," Yong Soo whined. "She saw me with my tongue down your throat. How do I explain that?"

"Just tell her we were fuck buddies."

"Yeah, girls love hearing that from guys who are confessing to them!"

"You still like her, huh?"

Yong Soo pressed the heels of his wrists into his eyes then pulled them away, looking up sadly at Alfred. "I really messed things up, huh?"

Alfred crossed his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I mean, what happened wasn't great, but I think you'd be surprised. It's college, people are pretty open-minded."

"Really?" Yong Soo asked, making no effort to hide the derision in his voice.

Alfred shrugged, "Hey, for the last few months I thought I'd seduced my straight roommate. You never know."

Yong Soo glanced away from him and back up at the ceiling, letting everything that had happened roll around in his head. Finally, he sat up, brushing cat hair off of his shirt.

"Okay, you know what, you're right!" Yong Soo said, his voice ringing out clearly. "I'm gonna go for it!"

"That's the spirit!" Alfred said, the familiar, warm energy returning to his voice.

"Yeah, well," Yong Soo grinned sheepishly, gesturing towards his dresser, "I need your help first with this costume. I need to be the sexiest Zombie there, like, so sexy you might jump me in the Uber."

Alfred stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter, and Yong Soo's grin widened.

* * *

Yong Soo felt positively euphoric.

It was like experiencing the exact opposite of a caffeine crash. Now that he'd patched things up with Alfred he felt back to his old self. If anything, he felt better than he normally would have. He'd done a great job on his make-up. The blood splatter and dark circles under his eyes made him look sufficiently zombie-like without sacrificing his natural good looks. And of course, this zombie was only wearing designer labels tonight.

It was just the kind of mindset he needed to be in to talk to Mei again.

They hadn't exactly been avoiding each other. Well, maybe they had been at first. But once they were back in class together they were immediately hit by a massive term paper and an insanely difficult midterm. They probably wouldn't have talked all that much even if nothing had happened.

At least, that's what Yong Soo had told himself.

"Well, that was easy," Leon remarked as they made their way into the bar. Francis had been right, the bouncer had barely glanced at them, even with all the makeup and costumes.

"Shots!" Alfred responded pointing to the bar, which was already starting to draw a crowd.

"Yeah, in a minute," Leon waved dismissively before glancing at Yong Soo, who beamed back at him. "God, I can never tell what's up with you. This morning you looked like you could drop dead at any moment."

"Because I'm drop dead gorgeous?" Yong Soo winked, and Leon immediately gagged.

"Tequillllaaaaa," Alfred drolled, pointing at Yong Soo and Leon, "Shots?"

"Absolutely not," Leon said. "You almost killed me last time."

"Shots! Shots! Shots!" Alfred and Yong Soo slowly began chanting.

"You're both sick." Leon said, rolling his head back and letting out a groan. "Fine!"

They made their way over to the bar counter, fighting their way through the small throng of people that had already congregated around it. No one had gone so far as to bring props or wear anything too obtrusive, but Yong Soo could see that a lot of people went more all-out than he had.

"Bonjour," Francis called out in a sing-song voice as he slid in beside them, signaling the bartender, who immediately came over to their group.

"Thanks!" Alfred said once they'd ordered their drinks. In the end, Leon had managed to pawn his shot off onto Francis and ordered a specialty drink for himself instead.

"Happy Halloween!" Yong Soo shouted out, to a few stray cheers from around the bar.

"I mean, it's not Halloween yet, but sure!" Alfred laughed before downing his shot. In lieu of a costume, he'd simply thrown on an old bomber jacket and slicked his hair back, unwilling to put on his actual Halloween costume early.

"Glad to see you're back in good spirits," Francis grinned, clapping him on the back. "I guess you didn't need the party to sort out…" he stopped, casting glances at Alfred and Leon before adding, "...uh, the thing you were confused about."

"Oh, I didn't figure out any of that stuff," Yong Soo shrugged. "I mean, I talked to Alfred and we decided it wasn't a big deal that we hook up, so I'll figure that all out later."

Leon choked on his drink, and Francis merely stared at Yong Soo open mouthed. For his part, Alfred started laughing again.

"I know I said it wasn't a big deal dude," he said, trying to compose himself, "But people are still gonna react and shit."

Yong Soo sighed, "There's really only one other person who's reaction I care about right now. I mean, if she'll talk to me."

"If you mean Mei," Leon said, still looking a little bit dazed, "she's here somewhere with Liên, at least according to her Instagram story."

"What! Really?" Yong Soo looked around wildly, pivoting on his feet to try and see over the crowd.

"I saw Liên head over there before," Francis said, gesturing to a corner across from where they were standing. "She has that terrible mask on. Oh, is that your friend with her?"

Yong Soo craned his neck, immediately spotting the woman in the grotesque mask. He cast his gaze around the area surrounding her, "I don't… Oh! There she is!"

The dark brown fabric Mei wore almost made her fade into the background of the room, but he'd recognize that stray strand of hair anywhere. Like Alfred, she had opted for more of a ‘look' rather than wearing a costume.

"Da-ze," Yong Soo smiled, dropping back down on his heels. "She looks so cute."

"Well, go talk to her!" Alfred said, softly nudging him. Yong Soo thought he saw a defeated look flash across Alfred's face, but as soon as he registered it, it was replaced with that same upbeat grin he'd had all night.

_Open-minded, huh?_ He thought to himself, pushing the uneasy feeling in his stomach back down as he turned to Francis and Leon. "Who wants to be my wingman?"

"Oh, absolutely not," Leon said, as Francis and Alfred both shook their heads.

"Ouch," Yong Soo said, clutching his chest in mock despair. "I can't believe my closest friends, my boys, if you will, are abandoning me in my hour of need!"

"Liên's mad at me," Francis said, an embarrassed grin plastered on his face. "I don't think I'd be doing you any favors."

"Oh, I'm an excellent wingman," Leon said, taking a sip of his drink. "I just don't want to."

Alfred merely shrugged, and Yong Soo got the message loud and clear. _The guy she caught me making out with would make a crappy wingman._

"Well, guess I'm going in solo!" Yong Soo said, beating his chest. He turned back to the corner where Mei was hanging out. Liên had pulled her mask up over her head and was chatting with a couple of people dressed like Power Rangers, but Mei was quietly staring down at her drink. Really, it couldn't have been a more low-stakes setup than this.

He grabbed the drink out of Leon's hand and quickly downed the rest of it.

"Ahhhh. Flavored vodka, really?" Yong Soo gagged.

"Like, what the actual hell?" Leon said, staring incredulously at his hand that had been holding the glass only moments earlier.

"I'll get you another one later!" Yong Soo waved his hand over his head as he started walking away from them and through the crowd.

He had no idea what he was going to say to her, really. How did someone explain themselves out of a situation like this, and also tack on ‘Oh, by the way, I really like you. Wanna go out with me?' at the end?

By the time he was near her, his anxiety was starting to peak. Maybe this had been a mistake.

But then she looked up. She locked eyes with him right away, and she did the last thing he expected her to do.

She smiled.

It wasn't a polite smile, at least, he didn't think so. No, this felt genuine. She was actually happy to see him. He felt all the tension in his body melt away, and a big, goofy smile spread across his face.

"Looks like someone got into an accident," Mei laughed, gesturing to the blood stain on the side of his head.

"I didn't make it," He said, hanging his head in mock grief. "Now I'm cursed to walk the earth, hungry for brains."

Mei laughed. God, she had such a great laugh. He never thought he'd get to hear it again, much less be the cause of it.

"Listen…" He said, his words suddenly catching in his throat. "I- What you saw… Well…"

"It's okay," Mei said, the smile on her face suddenly feeling very sad. "You don't have to explain. I was just surprised, since you and Alfred-"

"It's not what you think!" Yong Soo blurted out. "I mean, it's college, we were just, you know? At least, I think that's all? I wasn't really taking any of it seriously and I just, I mean, god, I really like you and I'm so mad I messed things up with us. Not that there was an ‘us'. I…"

He trailed off, the entire incomprehensible word jumble he'd just vomited out echoing in his head. Mei simply stared at him, mouth open with shock. The two of them stood there for a moment, neither unable to do or say anything.

"So… uh…."

The new voice in his ear snapped him out of his trance, and he turned to see Liên standing next to them, waves of exhaustion rolling off of her. "I'm not going to pretend I understood any of what that was, and I've had a long week. I'm gonna get another drink. Please be done talking about this when I get back."

Liên turned and walked away, shaking her head. A moment later, Mei burst out into laughter.

Yong Soo shoved his hands in his pockets, looking at her sheepishly. "Sorry to dump all that on you."

"No, no, it's fine," Mei giggled, wiping a tear from her eye. "And you know what, you're right. It's college. Maybe we don't need to take all this quite so seriously just yet."

"Yeah…" Yong Soo said, starting to feel his anxiety spike again.

"Oh, no, I'm not mocking you," She said, smiling up at him with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes, "I just think maybe we're overthinking this, don't you?"

Yong Soo wasn't sure who'd kissed who. Hell, maybe they'd both made their move at the same time. Either way, his mouth was suddenly pressed against Mei's and his arms were wrapped around her body, and his brain felt like it was going to short-circuit.

"Wow." He was unable to stop the word from escaping his lips as soon as they parted from Mei's.

"For what it's worth," She said, brushing her hair out of her face and glancing down, "You make a really handsome zombie."

"Y- you're really pretty!" Yong Soo sputtered.

"You really are new at this huh," Mei giggled, and Yong Soo felt his face flush with embarrassment. "You are a good kisser though."

"I've kissed lots of people before," He said, unable to stop himself from digging himself deeper into this hole. "I mean, not just Alfred."

Mei smiled and tilted her head, and Yong Soo suddenly realized she was looking past him. He turned, and registered that Liên had awkwardly attached herself to his group, and they were all obviously watching them despite a surface level attempt to act casual. Well, Leon might not actually have been watching them, it was hard to tell.

But it was Alfred who immediately drew Yong Soo's eye. He didn't look particularly upset, but there was something decidedly weary in his stance. Like something he had long ago resigned himself to had come to pass. And in a way, it had.

And it made Yong Soo's heart hurt.

"You like him too."

Yong Soo whipped his head back around, immediately caught off guard by Mei's proclamation. "I- No, I mean, maybe, I… I really like you!"

"Oh, I know that," Mei said, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder reassuringly. "I'm not jealous. I was just thinking that, maybe if we really want to figure all this out… we need to be willing to really be open about it."

"What are you saying?" Yong Soo asked, feeling his breathing becoming more shallow.

"I'm saying…" Mei pursed her lips, clearly weighing her words. "It's college. And isn't Halloween the perfect time to be a little bit bad?"

Yong Soo felt like he was going to pass out, but steadied himself. This was not how he pictured this conversation going at all, but he couldn't say he was unhappy with the direction. "Are you sure?"

"Right now I am," She shrugged, "We can figure all this out later, right?"

"Or maybe," Yong Soo said, leaning over, doing his best to sound more teasing than seductive, "You just like watching guys kissing."

"Well…" Mei's voice trailed off, and Yong Soo pulled back to see her desperately avoiding his gaze.

_Da-ze_, Yong Soo grinned, grabbing Mei's hand. "Do you wanna get out of here and get some air? This is certainly a lot to think about, and I think we might both be a little buzzed."

Mei smiled, looking back up at him. "I'd like that."

Their friends didn't hide the fact that they were watching the couple as they walked past them, hand in hand. Francis and Liên looked positively dumbfounded, while Leon simply stared at them crossly and gestured to the bar.

"Next time," Yong Soo mouthed, and Leon stuck out his tongue and gave him a thumbs down.

His gaze turned to Alfred last, and his friend did look genuinely happy for him, even with that same undercurrent of melancholy as before.

He leaned over to Mei and began whispering in her ear. She stared back up at him, and then glanced back at their friends, before whispering back.

Yong Soo let go of her hand and walked back to the group, heart pounding in his chest.

"Get whatever you want," He said, absentmindedly handing Leon a ten dollar bill without looking at him. Instead he was focused on Alfred, whose expression has shifted to one of confused surprise.

"Listen, this is gonna sound really, really weird, but did you mean what you said about college and being open-minded?" The words spilled out of Yong Soo like a fountain, and he was suddenly worried Alfred wouldn't understand any of it.

The blond furrowed his brow. "I mean, yeah. Why?"

Yong Soo couldn't explain it any more. He'd struggled to string together words all night and he just wanted to get straight to the point.

He leaned over and grabbed Alfred by the collar of his jacket, pulling him into a kiss.

Alfred seemed stunned for a moment, standing stiffly before quickly melting into it. The sensation made Yong Soo grin, which broke the kiss, and he pulled away just in time to see confused wonder spread across his friend's face.

"See you later!" Yong Soo said, giving him a salute, turning and bounding away, past the shocked faces of his friends and the other bar patrons, toward Mei's outstretched hand. As they barrelled out the door, he could hear Alfred's laugh ring out throughout the bar, all trace of sadness or defeat gone. Instead it had that familiar, uninhibited joy that made his heart race.

Mei was laughing too, their hands entangled as they broke through the crowd at the entrance of the bar and out onto the street.

_I don't care what anyone says_, Yong Soo thought as he raced off into the night. _Black cats are definitely good luck._


End file.
